Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/10329
Gary Fisch. Gary’s Wine & Marketplace Madison, Bernardsville, Wayne Gary Fisch is always dealing with the New Jersey mystique. “I was at a dinner in California. Each table was hosted by a vintner, and everyone was sharing wine,” he recalls. “So I called over to my table’s host, ‘Oh, I would love to try your Cabernet,’ and the wine- maker responds, ‘Yo, Jersey! So if I don’t give it to you, are you going to break my legs?’” Alas, the Sopranos stereotypes prevail, but Fisch has been making a huge contribution to changing those old perceptions simply by being himself. He is known as Bobby Flay’s “wine guy” from The Food Network’s Hot Off the Grill, and his three gleaming stores in Madison, Bernardsville and Wayne offer a huge selection of wine (Malbecs and his private labels are selling especially well), spirits and microbrews, as well as full gourmet market sections. Fisch has been the highest bidder for several years at Premiere Napa Valley, reaping top-quality wine in very small lots for his highest-end customers. The event also gives him an opportunity to illuminate the real New Jersey. “Our state has always had a second- fiddle relationship with the wine producers,” he says. “I’m out there saying, ‘Our guests work in Manhattan, so if you feel that their restaurants and wine shops are crucial, then you really need to feel the same about ours.’ Getting them to understand who we are has opened up doors.” may 2010 / the tasting panel / 107